City of Cedar Hill recently issued the following announcement.
Cedar Hill was among four Dallas-Fort Worth area cities to earn awards from Air North Texas for their commitment to improving air quality throughout the growing region. The awards recognize partners’ efforts throughout the 2021 ozone season, which ends Nov. 30.
Cedar Hill regularly created and promoted website content on how to reduce air pollution in North Texas, and the Air North Texas campaign was promoted throughout the year via official city social media accounts. The City of Cedar Hill included both residents and city employees in engagement opportunities throughout the year-long comprehensive outreach and communication plan.
These efforts included 65 pop-up events that allowed staff to explain the importance of air quality in fun, innovative ways. Additionally, the Cedar Hill Green Awards were presented to encourage businesses, nonprofits, schools and civic organizations to implement sustainability projects true to the character of Cedar Hill.
The City of Plano received the award for outstanding outreach. Its use of digital strategies helped engage residents and businesses. The city hosted a tree giveaway, providing 300 trees to residents and explaining proper tree planting techniques and their environmental benefits. Plano also conducted a solar car program to teach children about the benefits of solar energy. The children then got to build and race solar cars.
The City of Grand Prairie received the award for outstanding advertising, as well as the Arlo Ambassador Award. Grand Prairie promoted the Air North Texas campaign throughout the year via the official city social media accounts. Posts were tagged with the #AirNTX hashtag, and the content included tips on clean air, high ozone level alerts and Clean Air Action Day participation. Additionally, Air North Texas messages and advertisements were featured in several city newsletter editions throughout the year
Grand Prairie also earned the Arlo Ambassador Award for its efforts to advance the Air North Texas message through campaign mascot Arlo the Airmadillo. For example, the Environmental Quality staff purchased a 2020 Chevy Bolt to reduce emissions and wrapped it with a “Plugged into the Prairie” graphic design that featured Arlo.
Finally, The City of Dallas received the award for outstanding initiative. Dallas hosted a virtual Clean Air Action Day celebration, which focused on renewable energy and provided opportunities for communities to participate in and benefit from renewable energy strategies. Dallas also participated in a city-wide event called Branch Out Dallas, which distributed over 2,000 free trees to residents.
Air North Texas is a regional public awareness campaign that includes 38 partnerships pursuing environmental awareness in North Texas. It was formed by the North Central Texas Council of Governments with support of the Air North Texas Coalition. Partners support the campaign by encouraging residents to commit to actions that improve air quality, such as working from home, bicycling, or walking to the store and packing a lunch. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered many routines. However, improving air quality remains an important contribution people can make. For more information, visit www.airnorthtexas.org.
Ozone season runs from March through November, but North Texans are encouraged to consider how they can contribute to the effort to improve the air throughout the year. Currently, 10 Dallas-Fort Worth area counties do not meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations for ozone pollution, meaning the region has additional environmental responsibilities. Air North Texas is one of many strategies to improve air quality in the region, calling on entities to enact innovative, individual, collective and creative changes in North Texas to reduce emissions and create cleaner air.
About Air North Texas:
The City of Cedar Hill is one of several organizations involved with Air North Texas, a regional air quality partnership and general public outreach effort. Air North Texas leverages existing resources and program strengths to offer the public a comprehensive resource for air quality information. Collaborative efforts focus on reducing harmful emissions, protecting public health and welfare, motivating residents to make choices that improve air quality, and preserving the economic vitality of the region. Visit www.airnorthtexas.org to learn more.
Original source can be found here.
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